come forward

phrasal verb

came forward; come forward; coming forward; comes forward

: to make the effort required to provide information, make a claim, volunteer, etc.

No one has yet come forward to claim the reward.

Essex Police is now appealing for anyone with information or dash cam footage of the crash to come forward and help with their inquiries.

—Alex Gidden

The young woman … had come forward after six months to accuse him of assault.

—Jules De Cinque

also : to become publicly known

While the case was dropped the prosecutor says if substantial evidence came forward this case could go to a trial in the future …

—Don Granese

Examples of come forward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My decision to come forward helped spur a new era in women’s soccer in the U.S.—but globally, soccer is still controlled by men. —TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

So far, neither the driver nor any witnesses have come forward. —Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024

In a press release posted Sunday, officials said the Oregon Lottery is working with the ticket holder who came forward on Monday to claim the prize, adding that the process involves security measure and vetting that will take time before a winner can be announced. —Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

In the latest episode of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, former All That cast member Shane Lyons came forward for the first time to reflect on his tenure on the kids sketch show, which lasted from 2002 to 2004. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024

Lawmaker William Wragg, 36, came forward to apologize for having given out people’s personal contacts. —Karla Adam, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

But one former TikTok employee turned whistleblower, who claims to have driven key news reporting and congressional concerns about the app, has now come forward. —Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024

Geiger asked anyone who has spotted the car — even if in the past — to come forward. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

And in the wake of Ventura's lawsuit, other women and a man have come forward with allegations of their own, and legal experts say more accusers could emerge in the near future. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024

Legal Definition

come forward

intransitive verb

come for·​ward

: to make a presentation of something to the court

—usually used with with

must come forward with materials to show that there is a genuine issue of fact

—J. H. Friedenthal et al.

coming forward with the evidence